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Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Is it bad to tell a child you’re trying to lose weight?
What helps promote a positive body image?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A friend criticized me recently for pointing out in front of her child that my new bathing suit “covered my fat stomach.” She said, “I’m trying to promote a positive body image.”
Now maybe I could have said that a little more tactfully, but that seems like a head-in-the-sand kind of approach to not acknowledge to a child that fatness exists in the world.
So then I started thinking about what I say to my own children. Rose routinely tells me that I still look pregnant (I have a pouch — I’m not fat anywhere else just that stomach.) So I have said to my kids “Mommy is trying to lose some weight to be healthier. She’s not at a healthy weight. She’s eating fruits and vegetables.” And they know we’re all going to the gym several times a week so mommy can work out.
That to me is showing a positive healthy lifestyle and acknowledging to a child that if someone is overweight they need to exercise to get to a healthy weight and stronger body.
I’m not sure if I had a heavy child I would really talk to them about their weight. I wouldn’t want to make them self-conscious. I think I would serve healthy foods and try to help them control portion size. I would also make sure they had “fun” activities to help them work off the weight and encourage a healthy lifestyle. Is that hypocritical to talk about my weight but not theirs?
How do you talk to your kids about your weight? How do you talk to them about their weight? Is acknowledging if you need to lose weight setting a healthy example or somehow expressing a negative body image?
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